Sightseeing Cruise Around NYC

if it goes all the way around the island choose a shorter one.

I liked the round the island tour (Circle Line?). It was cool to get the maritime view and pass beneath all of the various bridges.

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Staten Island ferry. Free and cheap beer... you will see Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty.

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We just did that cruise last night, and it was really good. They had beer ($8 a can) and wine (little bottles). Not sure about liquor; don't recall seeing any but did not look for it. I saw some big hot dogs, but I did not eat.

It was daylight as we went out the Hudson at 7 pm, and getting dark on a cloudy evening as we circled the Statue of Liberty. The statue looked good in the fading light. We saw it in bright sun a few days earlier on another cruise, and more detail came through in the evening.

Sailed up the East River under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, then turned around and headed back.

It was dark by then, and the lights of the Manhattan skyline were pretty cool.

The guide who narrated it was pretty good. Better by far than one I had on a competing tour.

It had been hot as hell in days before, but it dipped to 74 and was rainy on/off when we cruised. I was glad I put on long pants. The wind off the water can be cool.

Seating is first come unless you pay for the prestige (or whatever they call it) seating. That gets you access to covered seating on the open part of the second deck (handy at the beginning if sunny), a roped off section at the front of the indoor part of second level, and the top open level. I'm assuming you get access to all those. We didn't do it, but the signs on each of those areas was the same so I guess if you have that kind of ticket you can enter them all.

Not sure what the first-floor level offered. I only went thru there on the way to the surprisingly good bathrooms below decks. View from inside there seemed weak.

The seats get a bit irrelevant after the boat gets to the statue. Everyone gets up to take pics, wanders to the bow, etc. We moved around a good bit.

When everyone runs to the first side that views the statue, head over to the opposite side and stake out a good spot on the rail. They'll turn the boat for a view from that side, and you'll be front row.

We did the circle line one as well. It was solid. Yes, definitley booze on there and I needed it, since the wind picked up and it was pretty cold.